“Brevyn,” I whispered in relief. “Are you okay, baby?”
“I miss you, Mommy,” he said simply. “We all do.”
Brevyn looked back over his shoulder, and I lifted my head to see that the hallway was gone, replaced by a misty room. Correction; a room made of mist. Blue fog crept over the ground, hovered on the horizon, and hung in panels in midair. Panels that were doorways to dreams. Before two of those panels stood Lesya and Rian, both of them looking terrified.
“Come on.” Brevyn waved them over. “She's here; I found her.”
My children rushed over to me, and I pulled them into a hug with Brevyn.
“Rian. Lesya,” I whispered. “I miss you so much.”
“Then why won't you come home?” Lesya asked.
“Daddy is angry,” Rian said with tears in his eyes. “He left us with Aunty Isleen.”
“I know; I saw him. He came to find me.” I set them back from me and stroked their hair and faces. My beautiful children; how could I have forgotten them? “Daddy and I don't agree on something right now, but I'm hoping that soon, your father and uncles will understand.”
“Understand what?” Lesya asked. “I can explain it to Daddy. Just tell me what to say. He listens to me.”
“No, honey, I won't use you like that,” I said gently. “Your father needs to figure it out on his own.”
“He said you were coming home soon.” Lesya launched herself back into my arms. “But soon has passed, and you haven't come home. When are you coming home?”
“I don't know, sweetheart.” I kissed the top of her head and sighed. “I wish I did. But I promise you that when this is over, even if Daddy and I don't agree, I will come back for you.”
“For me and Daddy?” Lesya looked up at me.
“I hope so.”
“I can't see your future anymore, Mommy,” Brevyn said, his solemn expression replaced by fear. “It's gone. I thought you would come home but now, I don't know. I can't”—he sniffed and swallowed hard—“I can't see.”
“You don't have to see the future to know that I will come back for you, Brev,” I said firmly. “I am your mother, I will always come back for you. I promise you; this is only temporary.”
“Okay,” Brevyn whispered.
“Brevyn said that you have something bad inside you.” Rian grabbed my hand urgently. “But you're not bad, are you, Mommy?”
“No, baby. Of course not.” I squeezed his hand. “I have to do some bad things to save a lot of people, but I'm not bad. I'm still your mommy, and I still love you.”
“Don't forget about us, Mommy,” Brevyn begged. “I saw you forgetting.”
“But you said that you can't see my future,” I reminded him gently. “Do you know why?”
“No.”
“Because Fate doesn't control me anymore.” I tapped his nose. “I make my own future, and I promise you that all of you will be in it. I could never forget my babies.”
Brevyn finally smiled. “Okay.”
“Now, did you really come through the Dream Realm all by yourselves?” I asked them.
“Brevyn did it,” Rian admitted. “He came and got me in my dream and then we found Lesya.”
“And then you found me,” I finished.
They all nodded.
“I'm so proud of you.” I kissed all of them. “But don't do this again. It can be dangerous. Instead, I will visit you in your dreams, okay? You stay put, and I will come to you.”
“Every night?” Lesya asked.
“I will try to visit every night,” I promised. “I don't know if I can, but I will try. For now, be strong for me and your fathers. And Lesya, you watch over Vero, okay? Uncle Trevor is sad so you have to be a big sister and look out for your baby brother.”
“Okay, Mommy.” She stood up straighter.
“Good, now come on, I'll take you back to your dreams. Maybe we can bounce on the bellies of big gummy bears or fly on the back of giant eagles before we wake up.”
“Yay!” The children shouted together.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
I woke up with a horrible ache in my chest and couldn't figure out why.
“What's wrong?” Viper pulled me into the curve of his chest and kissed my forehead. “Did you sleep okay?”
“Yeah, I...” I frowned as something tugged at the edge of my mind. I heard a little voice but before I could focus on it, it was gone, hidden beneath a dark light. “I guess it's just the magic.”
“You mean our connected power?” He smiled as he rolled, coming to a stop above me. “The way we joined together and made each other stronger?”
“You mean; invincible,” I said smugly.
Viper started kissing me, and I kissed him back but it was distractedly. I felt as if I were forgetting something really important. But then his lips lowered to my breast, and his tongue flicked across my nipple before he sucked it in. All thought failed me, desire pooling in my belly before surging out through my body. I arched against him with a moan, and Viper sucked harder as he spread my legs. His sex nudged my entrance, but then I had a sudden flash of being Odin. Of standing in Hlidskjalf, the place where he could watch the world, and watching me. Viper and me. I tensed, and Viper looked up at me in surprise.
“Hold on, honey,” I said absently and then spoke to Star in my mind. Can you ward us from Odin's stupid Santa TV? I asked her.
He's been watching you? She countered with horror. I didn't consider that. I should have thought of that!
Can you do it, Star?
Yes, of course, she huffed. It's done. The Oathbreaker won't be spying on you anymore.
Thank you.
I looked up at Viper and smiled. “Okay, that's taken care of.”
“Should I ask?” He lifted a brow.
“Only if you do it from somewhere much lower,” I purred.
Viper chuckled sensually as he slid down
